Tamaqua, Teachers Resume Contract Talks

Negotiations between the teachers union and the Tamaqua Area School Board have resumed.

The two sides met Monday, but no progress was made, the union, Tamaqua Education Association, said in a release.

Richard Payne, the Pennsylvania School Board negotiator, will bring a complete counterproposal to the next negotiations, set for June 24, the teachers said. The School Board last month hired the state to negotiate.

"The association is still hopeful that this dispute can be resolved prior to the start of school in September," said Robert Fulton, chief negotiator for the teachers. "We are prepared to meet in negotiations at any time and as long as is necessary to achieve that end."

The current contract expires at the end of this school year.

Teachers have proposed a one-year deal that would reduce the steps to top pay from 33 to 17. That would gives teachers an average raise of $3,980. The package calls for wage reopeners in the second and third years.

"The salary package was designed to be fair to both the taxpayers and professional employees," said Nicholas Trubilla, a member of the teachers' negotiating team. "The changing nature of the district's tax base and population make it impossible to accurately predict revenues for more than a year at a time.

"The situation is further complicated by the necessity of forecasting salary expenses for a professional staff including many individuals near retirement age and experienced teachers seeking employment elsewhere.

"These two factors alone contributed to a substantial savings over budgeted salary increases in the last contract period and have historically represented significant savings for the district."

The board originally offered a $2,100 increase over three years. After teachers rejected the offer, the board offered a $1,400 raise over three years.

Teachers have said they will file an unfair labor practice complaint against the School Board for reducing the offer.

The board has complained that the teachers' proposal is incomplete because it does not have specific salaries for the second or third year.

"The association has presented a complete proposal," Fulton said in response to the board's complaint. "The financial package is predicated on fiscal responsibility assessing both the economic needs of our professional staff and the district's ability to pay."